A Braveheart Kind of Day

We awakened to the Loch Lomond song which won’t get out of our heads, ugh.

We took a lot of scenery pictures today because (drum roll) it was actually a pretty day, windy (translate: very bad hair day) but pretty! We went west to the town of Stirling, at the foot of the Scottish Highlands. We climbed up 256 steps in a skinny, circular (translate: claustrophobic) stone stairwell to the top of the William Wallace National Monument. Yes, Martha the Braveheart actually made it to the top! Although we nearly blew off the top, the view was incredible and worth the effort and bad hair pictures. After warming up in the coffee shop with hot tea and shortbread, caramel and chocolate “biscuits” and tiffen, we headed to Old Town in Stirling. Lunch was in the pub at Portcullis Hotel. Although it had no WiFi, it was charming and the food was excellent. After four (4) days of iced tea withdrawal, Jeff ordered a pot of tea and two glasses of ice to make his own, and from the looks of the waitress, he committed a tea sin!

We toured Stirling Castle and the view was spectacular, especially since the sky was blue. Among other historical events, the coronation of Mary Queen of Scots was held here. We went to the nearby Church of the Holy Rude (I spelled it correctly), built in the 16th century, but alas, it was locked...what's with us and locked churches? After Jeff yanked in frustration on the iron door pulls, a caretaker slowly opened it and peeked out. Although we really didn’t understand him, we think he said we could come in for a couple of minutes which was a treat because it was very pretty. We ended up staying at Stirling so long that we had to postpone the rest of today’s touring until tomorrow. The stores and historical points of interest close before we’re ready to slow down. On our way back through the many wee towns, we stopped at the King’s Seat pub in Dollar for “happy hour”. In addition to some libations, we had an interesting chat with the couple at the next table, Paul from England and Shelia, a Glaswegian, who said she noticed we weren't from the area because of our accents....what was she talking about?

When we returned to Leven, we made a quick grocery stop so we could have a light supper at home. We feasted on a plate of cheeses, crackers, apples, grapes and Scotch eggs. We ended the evening at the local hotel to utilize WiFi and big screen TVs with sports.

It’s hard to believe our week in Scotland is coming to an end, but we feel we’ve covered not a little, but a lot of territory.

Click here for today's pictures. Click on Slideshow, then click on Full Screen mode in upper right.